Cash Reward for Whistleblowers

Australia has a culture of a fair go and don't dob your mates in. The question is, are your coworkers mates? In England, for example, the government encourages people to dob their neighbors in for fleacing social security. It is accepted there. But in Australia there has been an outcry against offering cash to dob others in to the authorities.

This kind of offer could backfire. Dobbers could just make things up to get cash. Who is to monitor this? It is hoped that companies will jump in to catch employees stealing from the business. Dodgy financial traders should watch out. Some rewards offered in the US have gone as high as $US104 million: though a court case resulted and fines were paid, this is a huge amount.

Tax authorities are examining the possibility of reward for information that brings to light tax evasion. It seems though that those in high places will still not be caught. The Australian government turned a blind eye to Kerry Packer paying hardly any tax at all. He once said it is my duty as an Australian to pay no tax at all and I hope others do this as well. If no one paid tax there would be no schools or hospitals, except perhaps, for the very wealthy - those who pay no tax.

It should be noted, however, that in Australia whistleblowers are victimized. Australians have a culture of ask no questions about a person's past or private activities. This probably goes right back to convict days when prisoners of the crown rose to prominent places in Australian society after serving their sentence. Perhaps Australians really are different.